Gemini
by solitaryloner
Summary: You promised me that we would always be together, didn't you? Just like Gemini in the sky, always bound together. We would always find our other half, even if we were torn apart from each other, right? So...was all that a lie? Why did you leave me all alone and break our promise to each other? I don't know what to do anymore, not without you...MikuoXMiku, noncest.
1. Chapter 1

Miku Hatsune skipped happily along the pavement, alongside her best friend and neighbour, Mikuo Hagane. She was six years old, just like he was - though Mikuo was much more knowledgeable than she was.

They had been neighbours for a long time, even before they were born. Their parents were good friends, she knew - she always saw Mr and Mrs Hagane coming over to her parents' house to talk and eat. She and Mikuo would often run off by themselves, playing together. They were best friends, and Miku knew that the person who knew her the most was Mikuo.

Mikuo knew her even better than her mum and dad. He knew how to cheer her up when she was sad, and he knew how to make her laugh. He knew where to find her whenever she wanted to hide and be alone, and he knew all of her secrets, things she didn't even dare tell her own parents. He was that close to her.

Likewise, Miku knew everything about Mikuo. She knew what he liked to eat - leeks, just like her. She knew what made him happy and what made him mad. She knew when to be cheerful and excited around him, and when to offer a listening ear. She knew what games he liked to play, and what he hated to do. She knew him better than his own parents did, too.

Mikuo tugged on her hand, pulling her to a stop. ''Look, it's the hill!'' he whispered excitedly. ''We haven't sat there for some time, have we?''

She shook her head, no. The hill was a favourite spot of theirs, their own little hang out to go to when they were bored. They hadn't been there in a while, since they were always having fun elsewhere. Besides, it had been a long time since she went out together with Mikuo. They had just started at pre-school, and since they went to different schools they saw much less of each other than they would prefer.

''Let's go see if anything has changed up there,'' he suggested, and happily she nodded. Mikuo pulled her up the gentle, grassy hill, and by the time they reached the top they were out of breath. It wasn't steep, or a particularly high hill, but for their young legs it was a exhausting climb. Mikuo refused to show that he was tired though, placing his hands on his hips and glaring down at the grass beneath his shoes.

''Nothing has changed,'' he announced. ''It's still all grass and nothing else.'' Dramatically he flopped down on to the grass slope, next to Miku. The two of them stared up at the stars in the night sky - there were a lot of stars tonight. It was rare to see so many stars, so brightly.

Mikuo seized her hand once again. ''Look, Miku!'' he pointed into the distance. Miku looked up at the direction he was pointing at - he was pointing at a small cluster of stars, stars which seemed to form the shape of two people. She had never seen that group of stars before.

''It's pretty,'' she said wonderingly, staring up into the dark night sky. ''Does it have a name?'' she glanced down at her best friend.

Mikuo nodded, trying to look wise. ''My dad told me about it! It's a constellation...or something like that! It's called Gemini. The Twins.'' He gazed up into the night sky once more. ''I think that it's really cool how they can always find each other, even though there are so many other stars up in the sky,'' he murmured, a trace of wonderment in his voice.

Miku agreed with him. ''It's a really pretty constellation,'' she said softly, her hand tightening around his. Mikuo squeezed her hand back in response, grinning at her.

''It's late,'' he glanced at the Mickey Mouse watch strapped to his wrist. ''Mum and Dad are going to scold both of us. We should leave.''

Miku and Mikuo rose from the grassy hill, brushing the dirt off their fronts. Both of them cast one last glance at the shining stars, up in the sky - particularly at the constellation of Gemini. The inseparable twins.

Miku and Mikuo weren't twins. They weren't even related by blood, but they certainly resembled. They both shared the same unique shade of teal for hair colour, and the same vivid, emerald eyes, the colour of a lush summer forest. Many people thought them siblings, especially since they were always together, but Miku and Mikuo always denied that they were related.

Silently, they walked down the hill, back into their neighbourhood, which was nearby. Miku and Mikuo never strayed too far from their homes - their parents would worry. The furthest they ever went together was to the playground, just outside the neighbourhood, and of course to the grassy hill. Their parents didn't mind what Miku and Mikuo did, so long as they returned before nine pm.

It was eight forty-five already - Miku and Mikuo knew that they had to hurry, before their parents started worrying and prevented them from playing with each other. Miku couldn't imagine what it would be like, to not be able to talk to Mikuo. To not be able to have fun with him, with her best friend.

And she knew that Mikuo felt the exact same way as she did. It was a silent agreement between them - that they would always be together. Miku and Mikuo. Mikuo and Miku. That was who they were - the pair who always had fun together. They were inseparable.

Their hands were linked as they walked back to their houses. They lived across each other, from the street. Miku and Mikuo both stood before Miku's house, and Miku waited for Mikuo to cross the street back to his own house.

He didn't, though. Instead, his grip tightened around her hand, startling her. He glanced up at the skies once more - the constellation of Gemini was still obvious, sparkling coldly up in the velvet night sky.

''Miku?'' her name on his lips was soft. ''I promise you one thing - we'll always be together. No matter where you are, I will find you. Even if you're lonely, just look up at the night sky. Look up at Gemini. Even if we're separated, we'll always find each other...because we're bound together, just like Gemini,'' he smiled, and she gaped at him.

She didn't fully understand what he had just said, but she agreed with it. They would always be together, just like Gemini. His emerald eyes softened, then he leant forward, giving her a swift peck on the cheek. She gasped, startled, and he drew back, his cheeks turning pink.

''Mikuo!'' Mrs Hagane yelled from across the street. Mikuo jerked up, startled, turning around to look at his mother.

''Coming, Mum!'' he yelled back. He shot Miku a shy smile, then ran across the street, into his house, into his mother's waiting embrace. Miku watched him as he entered the house with his mother, that familiar silly smile on his face.

She smiled too, touching the spot he had kissed with her fingers. Turning, she walked into her house as well - she would be able to see Mikuo tomorrow. They would always meet each other, would always find each other.

Because they were bound together, just like Gemini.


	2. Chapter 2

It was the day of Miku's eighth birthday today. Coincidentally enough, she and Mikuo shared the same birthday, even though they weren't twins, and it made her happy that they had the same birthday, for some reason. She wasn't exactly sure why.

They went to the same grade school now, as they had insisted that they should be sent to the same school, not separated. Their parents had allowed them to go to the same school, and that made Miku and Mikuo happy enough. So long as the two of them could be together.

Yesterday, on the way back home from school, she and Mikuo had been hinting at what birthday present they were going to give each other. They always gave each other birthday presents, every year, and it was one thing that she looked forward to about her birthday each year - receiving Mikuo's present.

He had given her the doll she had long wanted, last year, and similarly she had given him a race car set, one he had long had his eye on. Both of them were happy with each other's gifts - Miku still hugged the doll to sleep at night, though she wasn't sure if Mikuo still played with the race cars. Maybe he did, maybe he didn't.

Mikuo had admitted that the present he was going to give her was...stupid, in his own words. But she was fine with it, because her own gift to him was going to be a little stupid as well. She hadn't been able to think of anything to get him this year, since he hadn't indicated any interest in anything, and she suspected that Mikuo had similar problems when it came to deciding her present as well.

So long as they received a present from each other as usual, she was happy. Mikuo had been strange yesterday, she remembered - she hoped he wasn't falling ill. When Mikuo was sick, she felt bad too, every bit as lifeless as Mikuo felt during that period. Her parents always commented on how close they were, such that when Miku or Mikuo fell ill, the other would turn moody and listless as well.

He hadn't really looked at her, and when he spoke to her his face had been a little red. And he stuttered, all of a sudden. He stuttered a lot. It was strangely adorable, even though he wasn't someone who stammered. Their hands had been linked, and Miku thought that his hand had tightened around hers, for a while.

When they arrived at her house, Mikuo hadn't let go. She had looked at him, startled, and then he had leant forward, giving her another swift peck to the cheek. Just like that time, two years ago, when they had been six. She had stared at him, surprised, and he had run off to his house, refusing to look at her. Even now, she didn't understand why he had been so...strange.

She let her fingers press against the spot Mikuo had kissed. Hesitantly, she smiled - she had liked it, though she didn't know or understand why. She had liked the fact that Mikuo had kissed her, though she didn't understand why he had done that. After all, weren't kisses something meant to be shared by adults? Like between Mum and Dad? What did a kiss mean, especially amongst two eight-year-olds?

She had asked her mother yesterday, after Mikuo had run back home. Her mother had explained that when boys kissed a girl, it meant that they liked them, as more than a friend. Miku hadn't understood what her mother implied by more than a friend, but she understood that Mikuo liked her - and that was more than enough for Miku.

She knew she liked Mikuo as well - did that mean she should kiss him back? She wasn't sure about whether she ought to do that, and her mother had laughed, saying that Miku was too young for this kissing business.

But she had added that she approved of Mikuo, so long as they didn't try to enter a romantic relationship too early. Whatever a romantic relationship meant. Miku thought that her and Mikuo's relationship was doing perfectly fine.

She glanced at the clock on her bedroom wall - it was ten in the morning. The time Mikuo had asked to meet her, so that they could exchange their presents. She scampered down from her bed, going to her drawer to take it out, and as she stared at her birthday present she blushed. She was almost too embarrassed to give it to Mikuo - it was so...childish.

A drawing of the two of them together, holding hands. Miku loved to draw, and Mikuo shared the interest. Both of them kept plenty of pictures they had drawn at home, and now Miku was specially drawing one, just for Mikuo. A picture to remind them of their friendship together, and how she hoped they would never be separated. That they would always be together, no matter what happened.

She left her house, waiting outside on the pavement, nervously holding the picture behind her back. Mikuo left his house at the exact same moment, and her eyes widened as she noticed that he, too, was carrying a rolled up piece of white paper - a drawing? Like hers?

Her lips curved up into a smile. Mikuo noticed her, standing out on the pavement, and he smiled at her, his emerald eyes twinkling. Miku suppressed a blush - he was becoming more and more good-looking as the days passed by.

He began to cross the street over to her, like he did every single morning. It was a routine, that he always crossed the street to talk to her, every single day. A routine which had never been disrupted. Ever. But today, on the day of their eighth birthday, that had changed.

Neither one of them had seen the car coming. When it ran right into Mikuo, Miku screamed, and the car driver instantly sped away, leaving Mikuo behind, lying on the road. She instantly rushed out to him, and as she touched his face a red liquid stained her fingers. She stared at the liquid, not knowing what it was.

''Hurts,'' he hissed, more and more of that red liquid seeping out of his forehead. Not just his forehead - everywhere else as well. She stared at him. What was going on?

''Hurts?'' Miku asked uncertainly. ''You'll feel better soon, won't you, Mikuo?'' she patted his shoulder comfortingly. She didn't know what else to say, didn't know what was happening to her best friend, but it was the best she could say. He smiled painfully at her.

''Your...present...'' he reached out weakly, holding the paper out to her. She took it, but didn't look at it since she was still concerned for Mikuo. There was a horrified gasp from behind her, then both her parents and Mikuo's parents had rushed out, going to where Miku was.

''What happened?'' Mr Hagane demanded, asking Miku. Miku shrank back, closer to Mikuo, getting more of that red liquid all over herself. Mr Hagane sounded angry, and really sad.

''Mikuo got hit by a car,'' she said quietly. ''What's happening to him?'' she glanced down at the boy, who had suddenly stopped talking. She shook him, and he didn't respond. ''Mikuo?'' she whispered. ''Can you hear me?''

''He's dead, Miku,'' her mother told her, a sob hitching in her voice. ''He's dead, and he's not coming back. Get away from him - you need to wash all that blood off yourself...''

Dead. What did that mean? He wasn't coming back? Horror seized her, and then she was frantically shaking her friend, hoping desperately that he would wake up. ''Mikuo! You can't just die like that!'' she almost sobbed, even though she knew it was futile.

He was dead, and he couldn't hear her. ''You promised that we would always be together, just like Gemini! You can't just leave...'' she began to cry, tears falling down her cheeks. ''Don't leave me alone, Mikuo,'' she whispered softly. ''Don't break our promise. Please?''

The boy in her arms didn't respond, glassy emerald eyes staring at nothing in particular. Miku realised that she was kneeling in a pool of red liquid. What had her mother called it? Blood. She was kneeling in a pool of Mikuo's blood. And blood...it was a bad thing, right? It meant that someone had died - it meant that Mikuo had died. Miku hated blood, then.

Strong arms wrapped around her, and then her father was carrying her up, away from Mikuo's body. ''Staying here won't change anything, and this is something little children shouldn't see,'' he mumbled, carrying her away. She didn't want to leave Mikuo, though. She wanted to stay with him, even if he was already dead.

Miku screamed, kicking and struggling, wanting to return to Mikuo, but her father didn't set her down. Her mother remained behind with Mr and Mrs Hagane as they cried for their son, and Miku wanted to be there, with Mikuo, on the road.

_Mikuo, you promised that we would always be together, just like Gemini...so why did you leave me alone? Why did you leave?_

She looked at the rolled-up paper he had given her, then looked blankly at her own present. Opening up both, she compared them - they were similar, but different. Mikuo, too, had drawn both of them together, holding hands. In the top right corner of his drawing, he had written in his usual messy scrawl, 'Happy Eighth Birthday, Miku!'. She felt her eyes well up.

Her father had locked her in her room so she that couldn't run out back to the road, and now she stayed at her window, watching. A strange bunch of men had come to take Mikuo's body away, and she had watched, wishing that they could take her away as well, along with Mikuo. She wanted to be with Mikuo, no matter where he went or what would happen to her.

Mikuo's crimson blood still stained her skin. It was one of the last reminders of him she had left, and she didn't want to wash it off. Because she knew Mikuo had left, and he was never coming back. He was dead and gone.

He had left her behind and all alone, even though he had promised that they would always be able to find each other. Did that mean that...they weren't like Gemini? That everything they had promised each other before was a lie?


	3. Chapter 3

Miku sighed, smoothing the edges of the faintly yellowed paper. She didn't understand why she still kept the drawing - why she still kept both of them. The drawings were reminders of Mikuo's death, and of how much she missed him...yet she didn't want to throw the drawings away. _She couldn't bring herself to throw them away. _They were precious to her.

It was Mikuo's last present to her, and she couldn't bear to throw it away. She couldn't discard the present that her long-dead best friend had given her, with his final breath. Because he _had _given her that present, with his final breath. He had wasted energy passing his present to her - and she would treasure and keep his drawing because of that.

''Why did you leave me alone, stupid Mikuo?'' she whispered savagely, running her fingers over the smooth paper once more. Unbidden and unwanted, a tear rolled down her cheek, wetness leaking from the corners of her eyes. ''I hate you,'' she whimpered, burying her face in her hands. ''I hate you, Mikuo!''

It had been nine years since Mikuo's death - almost ten. It was going to be her eighteenth birthday soon. Her eighteenth birthday...Mikuo's birthday...and also Mikuo's tenth death anniversary. She and her parents hadn't moved from their house, but Mr and Mrs Hagane had, as they hadn't wanted any reminders of their son's death. Of the way he had died, on the road just outside their house...

Her phone buzzed. She glanced at the screen tiredly - it was a message from her boyfriend, Ren Haine. He wanted to meet up with her tomorrow. She replied with a 'sure', then threw her phone aside, sighing as she rubbed the tears away from her cheeks. There wasn't any point in crying - Mikuo wouldn't come back, no matter how much she cried.

Ren was one of her numerous boyfriends. She was notorious at school - notorious for being a serial dater. She went through boys quicker than anyone else. It wasn't that she was a playgirl or anything like that...it was just that being with these boys made her feel wrong. Something in her recoiled at the thought of going out with any boy.

Going out with anyone other than Mikuo. Once again, the tears welled up, and angrily she rubbed them away. Mikuo was dead. She couldn't continue pining over him. She had to move on with her life. Ren was her boyfriend now, and she loved him. Didn't she? She actually felt better with him - he reminded her of Mikuo more than any of her previous boyfriends had...she froze, then shook her head.

No, she wasn't going out with Ren just because he reminded her of Mikuo. She was going out with Ren because she liked him for who he was. Not because of anything else. He had a slightly possessive side, but she didn't mind that - so long as he wasn't unreasonable or overly-possessive, she was fine with what he did.

Almost a decade had passed since Mikuo's death, yet she still couldn't forget about him. He had been her first friend, her best friend...her first love. Her childhood love. Sometimes, she missed him so much she almost forgot he was gone, and she would turn, looking for him...before realising he was gone. That he was dead. She would never see his smile or hear his voice, ever again.

She felt so stupid, longing for a dead boy so much. It had been so long - she ought to have forgotten about him by now. She should have got over this part of her past by now, yet she couldn't. He lingered on, everywhere she looked, everywhere she went. Especially in here, in this house. This place.

She had little gifts from him scattered all over her room. The doll he had given her, the pictures of both of them, hung up in photo frames on her walls. The leek-covered bedsheets he had given her once. The books they had exchanged, when they were little. And the drawing...the drawing he had given her just before he died. The drawing she couldn't bring herself to throw away.

The drawing caused her to tear up whenever she looked at it. Keeping it was like torturing herself with what she no longer had. She didn't have Mikuo for a best friend any longer, so she should try her best to forget about him. But Mikuo refused to stay in the small corner of her mind she had relegated him to.

He refused to stay in the area specially labelled, 'Things I Don't Want To Remember'. He kept coming out of her memories, returning to haunt her, make her long for the past - him with his teal coloured hair and vivid, emerald eyes. Just like her own. He had been so adorable, when they had been eight - it made Miku wonder, what would Mikuo look like now, if he were still alive? Would he still look like her?

She shook her head sharply, her long, untied hair whipping furiously around her face. No. She wasn't going to torture herself more by thinking of what she once had - by thinking of what she had lost. She just wanted to live her life, and forget about what was impossible.

She stared at the childish drawing once more, letting her fingers trail over the scrawled message in the top corner. The message telling her Happy Birthday. She swallowed the lump in her throat, then rolled the picture up, putting it back inside the drawer. Sealing it away from sight and mind, the way it should be.

''Why can't I forget about you...?'' she whispered to herself, wondering if Mikuo was able to hear her. Somehow. Wondering if her voice was able to carry through the human realm, to wherever the dead went to, after their passing. ''Because you were my best friend? I really hate you, Mikuo Hagane,'' she said softly, viciously. ''Sometimes, I wish I had never met you,'' she concluded, sniffling, wiping at her eyes.

A shiver of guilt went through her, and she instantly regretted saying those words out loud. She shouldn't have said that, shouldn't even have thought that. Meeting Mikuo, even though they had spent only a few years together, had been one of the best things which had ever happened to her, and she..she missed him. She had to admit that she missed him - that she wanted to be with him, still.

But wishes were useless. No matter how much she wished for it, Mikuo would never come back. Even after death...was there such a thing as an afterlife? Miku didn't know, but she doubted there was - and Mikuo was lost from her forever. She choked back a sob as she walked over to her bed, clutching the doll Mikuo had given her tightly, to her chest.

Her salty tears ran into the doll's fake green hair as it smiled up at her, eyes blank. Miku buried her face into the doll's hair, closing her eyes. Tears still leaked out from beneath her closed eyelids, but she didn't bother to wipe them off this time, letting them run down her cheeks. They cooled her skin as they evaporated, leaving her feeling strangely...empty. She missed Mikuo, badly.

_I loved you. I still do, Mikuo. And I hate the way you left me alone in this world. I hate you._


	4. Chapter 4

She was sleeping, her eyelashes curling delicately over her pale cheeks. She really did become more and more beautiful, with every year that passed - she became more irresistible to him, each time he saw her. Even though he knew he could only look, and not touch.

Sitting next to her on her bed, he watched her as she clutched that little doll tight to her, a slight crease on her forehead. She looked like she was having a bad dream - probably the usual one, the one that always left her gasping, in tears when she woke. The one that both him and her absolutely hated.

Reaching out, he let his hand hover slightly above her forehead, longing to just reach out and touch that smooth skin. To caress the frown away, and make her feel better. But he knew that their skin would never be able to make contact, no matter how much he wished for otherwise. He couldn't touch her.

Tear tracks stained her pale cheeks, and he sighed, wanting to wipe those tears away. He knew perfectly well the reason why she had been crying so badly - and he felt guilty over it, as he always did. How could he feel otherwise? It was his fault she was so upset.

''You're pining over her again, aren't you?'' Someone suddenly spoke from behind him, and he turned around, expectant. Kaito Shion, one of the seven archangels of Heaven, was staring at him, a look of weary resignation on his face. ''I've already told you before not to bother, or torture yourself that way. Numerous times.''

''I can't help it,'' he muttered, his eyes drifting back to Miku's sleeping face. She looked so sad, so tired, even in her sleep, and seeing her like this was breaking his heart. ''Ever since...you know, she hasn't been lively and happy, like she once was. She seems so broken, now.'' His fists clenched - if only there was some way for him to make her happy again.

''It is not your job to worry about why she's so torn up - though I'm quite sure that you know the answer. The bond between soul mates is...a very strong one,'' Kaito sighed, shaking his head. ''But this is not in your place. You are her guardian angel, but you do not interfere. You're supposed to keep her away and protect her from demonic influences, and that's all...Mikuo Hatsune.'' The archangel stared at him.

Mikuo stiffened. He wasn't used to being called by his full name. He, who had once been known as Mikuo Hagane, was now an angel. An angel with the name of Mikuo Hatsune, to reflect how he and Miku Hatsune...were supposed to be soul mates. Supposed to be inseparable. And they longed for each other, even in death - without Miku there was just something...missing. It made Mikuo feel empty, hollow.

''Why shouldn't I be allowed to worry about her?'' Mikuo asked helplessly, his hand reaching out to brush her hair. As expected, his fingers passed through the silky teal locks - as an angel, an incorporeal being of the heavens, he couldn't touch any living thing in the mortal world. They weren't of the same realm. ''I died before my time. I wasn't supposed to die.''

''I know that,'' Kaito said quietly. ''But still, you're dead. You're an angel now - and you're an angel only because you died as an innocent child. You died a wrong death, and you were made angelic to make up for it. Otherwise, you would have had your memories erased, and moved on to be reincarnated.''

''It's not enough!'' Mikuo struggled not to lose his temper. ''Look at her! She's suffering, Kaito...and it's all my fault.'' Mikuo glanced down at Miku, who was still asleep. ''How can I not care for her when she's my other half? We were supposed to be together, but then I had to get run over by a stupid car...''

''You can't go against heavenly rules, Mikuo,'' Kaito warned severely. ''Angels cannot love humans. It doesn't matter that when you were alive, you two had a soul mate bond - you are an angel now, and you cannot love her.''

''Why not?'' Mikuo glared up at him, from where he was sitting next to Miku. Kaito sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose, between his eyes. He didn't know how to explain this...

''There was once, millennia ago, when an angel fell in love with a human. He gave up everything for her, and ended up tipping the balance between good and evil. The human girl he had fallen in love with had been tainted by sin, and she corrupted him - he turned to Hell's side, and as a result Heaven then decreed that love between angels and humans was to be forbidden.'' Kaito exhaled. ''That's why angels cannot love humans, Mikuo.''

''Miku's not evil,'' Mikuo argued. ''I knew her since I was a child, and even after my death I watched her, as her guardian angel. Sure, she was a little...distraught, and emotionally unstable, but she's gentle and kind. She won't be the same as that human in your story.''

''That may be true,'' Kaito conceded, ''but it is still not allowed. Angels cannot love humans. Angels and humans are completely different beings. They can never be together.''

''But I love her...'' Mikuo whispered, watching Miku as she slept. He had loved her ever since they were children, before his death. And even after he had died, he still cared for her. He still loved her. They had been meant for each other, born to be together - but he had died before they were able to admit their feelings.

''This is why I have no idea why you were the one assigned to be her guardian angel,'' Kaito tilted his head back, looking faintly exhausted. ''When I saw that you were to be her protector, I knew there would be trouble ahead. But did anyone listen to me? No. And now, look at what you've got yourself into.''

''I don't regret being assigned to her, if that's what you're hinting at,'' Mikuo responded blankly, still gazing at his beloved Miku. Kaito did his best to hold back a sigh of exasperation - nothing he said would dissuade Mikuo.

Mikuo Hagane and Miku Hatsune were supposed to be soul mates. Except that Mikuo had, rather unexpectedly, been run over by a car. Which was not supposed to have happened. His life line had been cut short - it hadn't been allowed to run its full course. _Mikuo Hagane was not supposed to have died so young._

So he had been turned to an angel, instead of being sent on. He retained his memories, and because of that he had spent the past decade moping about his lost, impossible love. And generally not fulfilling his angel duties. It made him wonder if, when they had turned Mikuo into an angel, they should have just erased all the memories of his past. That would have made matters a lot easier to resolve.

Kaito sighed again. He sighed a lot, when dealing with this particular angel. Mikuo Hagane, now known as Mikuo Hatsune, didn't pay attention to rules, preferring to hover around in the mortal world and watch his human beloved. Which, in Kaito's opinion, was rather hopeless - love between an angel and a human would never bloom or flourish.

Mikuo was torturing himself with what he would never be able to have, and no matter how hard Kaito tried to drill those words into Mikuo's thick skull Mikuo simply refused to listen to him. ''Are you staying here?''

''Yes,'' came the expected, absent-minded reply. Kaito shook his head at Mikuo's foolishness and went back up to the heavens, sighing once more. Mikuo really was such a masochist.


	5. Chapter 5

Miku tied her excruciatingly long hair up into two ponytails. Sighing, she checked herself in the mirror one last time - Ren would ask her what had happened, if she showed up before him with those familiar black rings below her eyes. She didn't need him to ask her why she had been crying. Yet again.

Her long hair was incredibly irritating, at times - but she didn't want to cut it. She would never want to, mainly because Mikuo had loved her long hair...he had always told her to continue growing her hair out. He had always said that he loved long hair, especially hers.

It now reached all the way to the back of her knees, and she found her hair very difficult to manage. She wouldn't cut it, though - because Mikuo had liked it long. She gritted her teeth at the thought of him - Mikuo Hagane. How she hated him. And how she wanted him back.

Snatching her purse and her phone, she ran out of her room, down the stairs, bursting out into glaringly bright sunlight. Ren wanted to meet her in the park - and that brought forth a surge of bitter-sweet memories. The park.

She and Mikuo had spent many hours in the park before his death. The two of them sat on the swings in the park, just laughing and talking...the innocence of youth led them to believe that they would always be together. That they would never be torn apart, not ever.

To think like that was foolish. Everyone and everything had an end. One day, everyone would leave this world. She would never have a companion, not for eternity - she would always be alone. There was no one else for her, not after Mikuo had died - she was all alone, and she couldn't forgive Mikuo for breaking his promise. His promise that they would always be together, bound to each other just like Gemini -

Miku suddenly felt giddy, and stumbling she fell against a lamp post, at the side of the pavement. Wearily, she rested her head against the warm metal, closing her eyes. She felt dizzy, bright spots blinking before her eyes, but she had no idea what had brought about the sudden onslaught. She hated these dizzy spells.

Shaking her head, she walked shakily away from the lamp post, in the direction of the park. Clutching at her stomach, she winced as she felt hunger pains strike her again - no wonder...she had forgotten to eat any food yesterday. It was bad for her gastric problems, and she hadn't taken her medicine this morning, either. The pain triggered the faintness, she recalled.

She'd take her medicine later. Determinedly, she strode off in the direction of the park. She was going to meet Ren, her boyfriend, and she was going to completely forget about her past. She would no longer allow her past to haunt her.

Mikuo followed after her, unseen and unheard by anyone. Even Miku. He knew that she had been cursing him for his death, cursing him for leaving her alone - and he didn't blame her. She could get angry at him, all she liked..._so long as you don't have to hurt so much anymore._

Mikuo followed Miku all the way to the park, where he knew she was meeting her boyfriend. _Her boyfriend. _His heart twisted at the thought - he knew he shouldn't be selfish. He shouldn't want her to be single for the rest of her life. He was dead, but she was still very much alive, and wanting her to stay single forever just because he had died was selfish of him.

_It is not the sort of thought that befits a guardian angel. Guardian angels do not interfere. They are simply guardians who ensure that their assigned mortal doesn't stray down the wrong path..._Kaito's words, repeated incessantly, echoed through Mikuo's mind. He gritted his teeth, shaking his head.

Yes, he knew that. He knew, logically, that he shouldn't care. But emotions overrode logical thinking, and he selfishly wished that Miku would forever be single. Would always love only him, and him alone. It was a stupid wish, though, and one that would never be fulfilled.

Miku met Ren at that very moment, while he had been thinking of his guardian angel duties. Mikuo wondered what Miku saw in the black haired boy - admittedly, he was handsome, tall and lean with jet-black hair and steel grey eyes, but Mikuo didn't like the aura he gave off. He was too...possessive of Miku. Mikuo knew that she felt suffocated by Ren Haine.

He was so protective of his girlfriend that he couldn't stand it when she smiled at another boy. He called Miku everyday, and always asked about what she was doing, who she was with at the moment...Miku was frustrated by that, but for reasons Mikuo couldn't comprehend, she simply refused to break up with him.

He could already predict the outcome of this date - Miku and Ren would end up arguing, and then Miku would run off crying, while Ren just stood there and scowled. They obviously weren't suited for each other - because Miku had always been meant to be his. Mikuo and Miku were bound together, and no one would ever fill the gaping hole in Miku's heart. Yes, a selfish thought - but one that was true. At least, Mikuo hoped it would stay true.

Sure, their date started off fine, the two of them hugging and kissing - Mikuo felt his chest tighten when he saw that - but after a while, the two of them started arguing. As they always did. And then, in the middle of the heated disagreement, Ren snapped at Miku, and she drew back, eyes wide. Without another word to Ren, she turned and ran away...

Miku stifled her tears. She wasn't going to cry again, like some pathetic little crybaby. She used to be brave, and she had rarely cried...until Mikuo had died. After that, she had retreated into herself, becoming a timid little mouse. Someone who cried easily, at the slightest provocation - someone weak and fragile.

Ren had been so kind, in the beginning. He had doted on her, loved her, cherished her - but then, he had slowly become more and more possessive. He frequently called her, to ensure she was fine, and that she wasn't with any other boys. And he always had to argue with her - he always insisted on his own way. He insisted that everything he did was for her own good, that she would never regret what he was doing for her. But his protectiveness...

Ren had seemed like the perfect boyfriend, once. And to everyone at school, they seemed like the perfect couple. It was the main reason Miku didn't break up with Ren - Ren was steady and reliable, and she needed normalcy and reliability in her life. She didn't want to fall for someone who would die and abandon her...

She didn't want to fall for another Mikuo Hagane. Sniffling, she ran the rest of the way back to her house, the hunger pangs returning. Shaking her head furiously, she pressed on, thanking God that the park was fairly close to her house. She would be home soon - she didn't want to faint on the pavement again.

Ren would call her later, no doubt. Apologising, saying sorry, asking if she was okay. And she would tell him yes. She would forgive him for their stupid, pointless argument, and then the whole thing would repeat itself - until his possessiveness sparked yet another quarrel.

Everything had been fine between the two of them, at first. He had been waiting for her at the usual spot, with his black hair tied up in a small ponytail, his steel grey eyes anticipating her arrival. They had hugged, exchanged sweet nothings, and then they had kissed, greeting one another. After all that, they had talked.

And everything had gone downhill from there, from the moment the first words had come out from their mouths. He had been questioning her about what she had been doing yesterday, and why she hadn't picked up his calls - and she hadn't wanted to admit that she had been crying over her long-dead best friend.

So he had become suspicious about her, worrying that she was cheating on him - and that intensely hostile suspicion had led to an argument. An argument she had run away from. She couldn't stand Ren and his possessiveness, most of the time - sometimes she felt like he was going to strangle her to death, because of all his excessive love for her.

Finally entering her house, she stumbled up the well-worn flight of stairs to her room, collapsing on her welcoming bed. Blankly, she stared at the doll watching her, on her bed. The doll which had been a present from Mikuo.

''I hate you,'' she whispered, clutching the doll tight to her chest, letting her eyelids flutter. ''I really hate you, Mikuo. I wish...I wish that you had never died,'' she continued in that same soft whisper. Miku was tired, so tired, and all she wanted to do was enter a long slumber. She wanted to sink into a deep, inescapable black void which would let her forget everything and everyone - and forget all of her pain.

Mikuo bit his lower lip as Miku drifted into a sad, lonely rest, his long fingers clenching into fists. He watched her as she slept, and he knew that he couldn't stand just watching, just waiting on the sidelines. He had to do something. Anything, to try lifting her from her misery.

It didn't matter whether or not she claimed to hate him. After his death, for the past ten years, she had hated him for dying, and had whimpered in her sleep for him to come back from death and talk to her again. He was used to her ever-changing wishes - she was emotionally unstable, whether or not she admitted so. What was most important was that she was happy. He was already dead - but she was alive, and she deserved happiness.

''Kaito?'' he whispered, calling out for the archangel. Kaito appeared to have taken special interest in Mikuo, and was usually listening out for any cries for help from the teal haired angel. Instantly, the navy haired man appeared in a flash of blinding white light, his expression serene as he stared understandingly at Mikuo.

''I know what you want,'' he stated before Mikuo could say anything. ''But are you sure you want to do this? There will be consequences. The serum I can give you will turn you human...'' Kaito hesitated. Mikuo waited, almost unbearably eager, for his next words. There was bound to be a 'but' in them somewhere.

''But if you fail to obtain her love within one month, you will become an angel once more - and you will completely forget about her. You will forget about your love, about Miku Hatsune. The serum causes you to forget the reason why you wish to become human in the first place.'' And there it was. The 'but' he had been listening out for. Desires like these could be granted, but always with some kind of terms attached.

Mikuo didn't hesitate. ''Turn me into a human.'' He watched Miku as she slept, that troubled frown still on her face, and he longed to wipe that frown away. To kiss all that misery away. ''Just...make her happy. She doesn't deserve to suffer solely because of my death.''

Kaito nodded, almost sadly. From within the folds of his robe, he drew out a tiny crystal flask, filled with some kind of shimmering liquid. ''I've been carrying it around with me ever since I first met you, as an angel,'' he admitted. ''I knew you would want to return to the mortal realm, one day. I just wasn't sure when.'' He sighed, as was his habit around Mikuo. Mikuo reached out, taking the flask from the archangels' hand.

''So...I just drink it?'' Mikuo stared at the bottle, unable to suppress a feeling of suspicion. How could this little flask filled with liquid possibly turn him into a human once more? ''This serum? What happens after I drink it, then?''

''You become a human,'' Kaito stated matter-of-factly. ''I will make arrangements such as accommodation and money for you, so you need not worry. But remember, you have one month to obtain her love. You need her to say 'I love you', without forcing her or bribing her. It needs to be said of her own free will.''

Doubt seized Mikuo. ''If she does love me, but she doesn't say it aloud, will I...be affected, at the end of the one month?'' he asked.

Kaito nodded. ''It needs to be a verbal admission, of true love,'' he said sagely. ''Are you sure you want to do this? It's not too late to change your mind...''

''I want to become human and comfort her,'' Mikuo said decidedly. With that, he opened the flask and downed its contents. As the last drop of the faintly sweet liquid slid down his throat, he was suddenly hit by an excruciating pain, and groaning he slumped to the floor, his eyelids fluttering closed.

''Oh,'' Kaito sounded contrite, through the haze of pain surrounding Mikuo. He was surprised he could still think and hear so clearly, despite the bone-aching pain. ''I forgot to warn you. The transition from angel to human is never a painless one...''


	6. Chapter 6

Miku felt her eyelids flutter as she was woken by the incessant ringing of the doorbell. Groaning, her eyes cracked open, and she glanced at the clock on her bedside table - it was two pm. She had slept for an hour already? It didn't feel like an hour to her...

Slowly, she slid out from beneath her blankets, stretching her stiff body. Her stomach rolled uncomfortably in protest, and she winced - she had to eat something soon. The doorbell rang once more, and she sighed, shaking her head. Rising from her bed, she left her room, stumbling down the stairs drowsily.

''I'm coming,'' she called out, rubbing tiredly at her eyes. Who could her guest be? It wouldn't be Ren - he wouldn't call on her to apologise, not until at least six hours were over. He didn't like humbling himself, but he would do that just to have her back. And she wasn't expecting any of her friends...so who could it possibly be?

She pulled the front door open, and then her eyes widened. There, on her front porch, was an unconscious boy - but the first thing she noticed wasn't how beautiful he was. No, she realised...he had teal hair. Teal hair just like hers. And his features, his face...it was all so _familiar. _Like she had seen him before.

''Mikuo?'' she whispered dazedly, kneeling down beside him. His chest rose and fell evenly as he breathed, his face calm and peaceful. His teal hair fell messily around his face, and yes, he was handsome. Angelically beautiful. He had pale skin, chiselled cheekbones, full and sensuous lips. His eyelashes were long and thick, feathery, and they brushed against his cheeks, casting faint shadows over his skin.

He looked...he looked like what Mikuo would probably have looked like, if he were still alive. But Mikuo was dead - she had seen him die, with her own two eyes. So who was this boy? Unconsciously, she reached out, brushing his teal locks away from his eyes. She wondered who was the one who had rang her door bell, since this boy was clearly unable to do so. Perhaps it had been a passer-by who assumed that he was living in this house?

It didn't matter who this boy was, no matter how much he resembled her long dead best friend. He was unconscious, and he needed help. Holding the door open with her foot, she reached below his elbows, dragging him into her house. Surprisingly, he wasn't very heavy, and she got him inside without much effort.

He was of fairly slender build, though she could feel through the long sleeves of his shirt that he was leanly muscled. Her eyes flicked to the stairs - no matter how light he was, it would be near impossible for her to drag him up to the guest room to recuperate. She sighed.

Heaving the unconscious boy over to her couch, she lifted him up onto the soft cushions, with a little help from her knees and the living room's coffee table. He lay there, on the couch, his eyes still closed, and she settled in a nearby armchair, watching him as he breathed.

She felt herself soften as she stared at the sleeping boy - he really did look a lot like Mikuo. She wondered who he was, and why he had shown up on her doorstep. What was his name? And...did he have anything to do with Mikuo?

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:

Mikuo groaned as he finally regained consciousness. He had a terrible headache, and it was killing him. His eyelids fluttered as he tried to open his eyes - the headache returned, more viciously than before, and groaning once more he shut his eyes. As if the transformation from angel to human hadn't been bad enough.

His eyes flew open, sudden surprise taking the place of his pain. Human? Was he really human now? He didn't know...slowly, uncertainly, he flexed his fingers, looking at the pale skin. Sitting up, he looked around - his eyes widened in surprise and recognition.

The room was familiar. It was Miku's living room. He had been here before, more times than he could count, both before and after his death. It had remained unchanged, even though almost a decade had already passed. What was he doing in here...? The last thing he recalled was passing out from the pain...

He was no longer in his silvery white angel robes. Instead, he was clad in a simple white shirt and slim fitting denim jeans. He shifted on the couch he was sitting on, and something in his jeans pocket made a crinkling sound.

Blinking, he glanced down at his jeans. Slowly, he reached into the pocket, and his searching fingers met a piece of slightly crumpled paper. Pulling it out of his pocket, he unfolded the piece of paper - there was something written on it, in Kaito's familiar, elegant cursive.

_Don't forget that you have one month to persuade her that she loves you. And she has to say so verbally, or else you'll return to Heaven and completely forget about her._

_I've helped you find accommodation at a nearby boarding house. The address is written at the bottom of this paper, along with your room number. The rent for one month has already been paid, so don't worry about that. In your room, you should find some food, clothes, money, and a phone. Your phone number is written below, as well._

_Also, you're now enrolled in the same school as Miku is. For all official documents, your name is registered as Mikuo Hatsune. It'd be best for you not to revert to your human name - that would be suspicious. Well, good luck._

_- Kaito Shion_

_P.S If you need me, just call the way you always do. But don't call me if you're asking for more money, because I've left you more than what most human teenagers earn in a year. So don't waste all of it on unnecessary items._

Mikuo smiled at the archangel's familiar nagging tone. As stated in the note earlier, an address, room number and phone number were all written at the bottom of the note, and he quickly committed everything to memory. It was good that he didn't have to worry about such things, now that he was human.

Just then, he heard footsteps sound. Someone was coming down the stairs, and hurriedly he stuffed the note back in his jeans. He had to remember that over here, he was a stranger - no one knew who he was. Not even Miku.

Her feet appeared first, bare and pale, followed by her slim, shapely legs. Eventually, the whole girl came into view, nibbling absently on a leek. When her eyes met his, the vivid emerald widened, and she froze at the bottom of the stairs, the two of them staring at each other.

Mikuo felt as though she couldn't breathe. She was beautiful - her, with her large forest green eyes and her long, silky teal hair. She exuded fragility, the leek halfway up to her mouth. Her pouty lips were parted in surprise.

''You're awake,'' she stated the obvious, and Mikuo bit on his bottom lip. Her voice...as a human, finally of the mortal realm, his senses were much more tuned to this realm than to the heavenly plane. And her voice was melodious and sweet - how he had missed hearing that voice. He had missed everything about her.

''Where am I?'' he asked, playing the part of a confused stranger - even though he knew perfectly well exactly where he was. She approached him carefully, her eyes never leaving him. Slowly, she settled herself into the armchair next to the couch he was on.

Mikuo hoped that she was eating more than just that leek - over the years, she had developed a gastric problem due to her depression. She hadn't wanted to do anything other than sleep and cry, in the first few years after his death. And since she refused to eat, she had weakened her stomach, and now if she didn't eat she would suffer from dizzy spells and stomach pains. Like she had, this morning.

It had taken her a long time to climb out of the hole of misery she had dug for herself - and he hoped that she would never fall inside it again. He would do his best to keep her out of it. It was his responsibility - and he couldn't bear seeing her sad. Seeing her cry again.

''You're in my house,'' once again, she stated the obvious. Mikuo resisted the urge to smile - Miku did that all the time. Stating the obvious. ''I found you unconscious, outside, so I brought you inside so that you could rest better.''

''Oh,'' he mumbled in reply, staring back at her. She cocked her head, waiting for him to say something - like perhaps, the reason why she had found him outside her house. ''I don't know how I ended up here, though,'' he said truthfully. She blinked at him.

''Okay,'' she murmured, apparently deciding that he was speaking the truth. ''What's your name?'' an eager light entered her eyes, and he wondered at that. What was she thinking about? Was she remembering him?

''Mikuo,'' he said, honestly again. Her eyes widened. ''My name's Mikuo Hatsune. What's yours?'' he asked politely. The eager light left her eyes as she smiled tremulously.

''Mikuo Hatsune,'' she echoed, staring right into his eyes. Her eyes were penetrating. ''Nice to meet you. My name is Miku Hatsune.''


	7. Chapter 7

''Where did you come from? Where do you live? Do you...have anyone to call, for help?'' The barrage of questions Miku was shooting his way was making him feel rather dizzy, and Mikuo blinked at her, wondering whether he ought to answer all of that truthfully.

Or whether he should just lie, lie and lie. After some consideration, he opted to do a mixture of both. ''I'm new around here. I stay in the boarding house...I think it's rather nearby, because the last thing I recall before passing out is leaving the boarding house. Um, I left my phone in my room, too,'' he smiled sheepishly.

''You're the only one here?'' Miku looked surprised as she sat elegantly in the armchair next to his couch. ''Your parents didn't come with you? No siblings, no relatives...nothing?''

Mikuo shook his head, letting his features morph into one of disappointment. ''I wanted to go overseas to study, but my siblings didn't want to...nor did my parents want to migrate. So here I am.'' He laughed quietly. ''Alone.''

Her eyes softened. ''Do you go to the same school as I do?'' she told him the name of her school - their school - and he nodded, since he knew that he was registered as a new student in the same school as she was. Her green eyes brightened, and she gave him a cheerful smile. ''Well, since you're new, I can be your friend,'' she offered cheerfully. Mikuo smiled back.

''I'd like it. If you were my friend...'' his voice trailed away, but thankfully Miku didn't seem to find anything too suspicious about that. What was he supposed to say? He wanted to be more than just friends with Miku - he needed to be more than mere friends with her, or else he would lose all his memories. But how was he supposed to start? Was one month enough?

''That's great!'' she beamed, and unconsciously Mikuo smiled, too. It had been a long time since he had last seen her smile so happily, so genuinely. He had seen her cry before, many times, but to see her smile was an extremely rare sight. Ever since his death, Miku had smiled much less than she had once did.

He still remembered the last time he had seen her really, truly cry. It had been just a mere few days ago, in fact - she and Ren had gotten into a really huge, pointless argument, and of course she had been...upset about it. Mikuo pursed his lips as he remembered how it had been like.

He had tried to wipe away her tears for her, while she had went to sleep - but he hadn't been able to touch her. Instead, because at that time he had been an angel, an incorporeal being, his fingers had passed through her continuously, and try as he might he hadn't been able to comfort her. He hadn't even been able to touch her...and seeing her crying so much had broken his already shattered heart. As usual.

Kaito had appeared then, while he had been next to Miku, and he had shaken his head disapprovingly while Mikuo stubbornly remained at Miku's side. Even though he couldn't do anything to help her with her tears. Kaito had asked Mikuo why he insisted on staying when he couldn't even do anything to help her, to comfort her. To touch her.

And Mikuo had replied that he just wanted to be near her, in the hopes that his presence might bring her some comfort - even if she had no idea that he was there. It was around that same time that Mikuo had started to harbour desires of becoming human again.

He had died before his time, so shouldn't he deserve another chance at life? If a lost child spirit like him could be turned into an angel...then why couldn't he be changed from an guardian angel back into a human? That might be possible, right? Mikuo had wondered about it, had wondered if it was possible for such a thing to ever happen.

So he had hoped, and Kaito had known his wish. Mikuo suspected that from the very start, Kaito had known what Mikuo had wanted. Spirits who had passed before their rightful time would always harbour a yearning to return to the mortal world, after all. Mikuo was no exception, especially since his soul mate was in the mortal realm, while he was torn apart from her in the heavenly realm. He would always feel empty.

Without Miku, even up in the blissful paradise which was Heaven, Mikuo had felt empty and hollow. As though an important part of him was missing. And he had missed Miku, no matter how hard Kaito tried to divert his moping into some other more productive activities.

Mikuo had been thankful that, when he finally became old enough to take up angel duties, he had been assigned to become Miku's guardian angel. Even though it pained him greatly to see her suffering so much, and being so unhappy, at the very least it gave him a valid reason to spend all his time with her. In fact, Mikuo had remained by Miku's side so much, he had scarcely returned to Heaven anymore.

And now, he was a human again. A human with one month to live on the mortal plane. He had to gain Miku's trust and affections - he needed her to say that she loved him aloud. It was only then that he could continue remaining in this realm. And if by the end of one month, there was still no verbal admission from her...then he would return to Heaven as an angel, and he would completely forget about Miku.

He couldn't allow that to happen. If he really completely forgot about Miku, then...for the rest of his angelic existence, he would feel empty. Incomplete. And he wouldn't even have any idea as to why he felt that way. He couldn't lose Miku - not physically, nor in his memories. He loved her...and he hoped that he could get her to love him back, as well. He knew that she still struggled with her feelings, when it came to him - nor did he blame her for her confusion.

If he were the one in her place, he would be feeling confused about everything as well. He sighed, and Miku gave him a curious look. ''Why do you seem so upset? A new start...'' she smiled, a small, painful smile. ''Isn't that good for you? A fresh start, a new start...''

Mikuo shrugged, watching her watch him. He could see himself, reflected in the large emerald orbs of her eyes. ''I suppose. But I wonder...if I can make any new friends when I go to school tomorrow?'' he bit his lower lip nervously. It had been a long time since he had last had human interaction. Had made friends.

Angels loved everyone equally, and all of their brethren were treated the same way. So up in Heaven, there hadn't been any need for him to make new friends, as regardless of whether or not he tried everyone was nice to him. He hadn't been human for a decade, but he remembered that for humans, it was different.

Humans weren't as kind and accepting as the angels were. If you couldn't _fit in, _or so to speak, then you wouldn't have any friends. And that was what made it hard for him imagine making new friends. He had been dead for almost ten years. Suffice to say, it had been a while since he last brushed up on social skills.

''Hey, I'll be your friend, right? So you don't need to worry about that! I'll show you around our school tomorrow, okay?'' she smiled at him. ''You live in the boarding house...I guess that means the one nearby, right? Near the hill?'' she recited off an address, and Mikuo nodded as he realised that it was the same address as the one Kaito had written on the piece of paper.

''Then...how about we walk to school together, tomorrow? I...usually don't have anyone to go to school with, and it can get lonely,'' she admitted, ducking her head. Shyly, she glanced up at him from beneath her long eyelashes. ''I could use the company,'' she added, seeming almost embarrassed. All Mikuo could focus on was exactly how pretty she was, at that very moment. She looked so adorable.

''Sure. I don't see why not,'' he shrugged. ''I'll drop by your house tomorrow morning, then? Since it's closer to school than the boarding house is,'' he explained hurriedly, not wanting her to think he was some kind of creepy stalker or anything like that.

She laughed. It was a cute, tinkling sound, and he wondered if he could fall in love with her laugh. Miku ought to laugh more. It brightened her face, brightened everything - it turned her from pretty to really, truly beautiful. He loved the sound of her laughter - to tell the honest truth, he loved everything about her.

''I understand,'' she giggled. ''You look so worked up about it...Mikuo,'' he noticed the brief hesitation she made before she said his name, and he wondered what she was thinking. ''So I guess I'll see you tomorrow?''

He nodded, rising from the couch. ''Thank you for taking care of me, Miku,'' he said quietly, his words genuine. Miku rose from her chair as well, smiling gently at him. Her gaze was friendly and welcoming - Mikuo wondered when was the last time he had seen her so open.

''I'll walk you out,'' she said, walking over to the door. He followed after her, and she held the door open for him, waving at him as he walked out. He waved back, then shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans, setting off in the direction of the hill. After all, Miku had said that the boarding house was near the hill.

Miku sighed as she closed the door. Leaning against the closed wood, she shut her eyes, wondering whether this whole episode was a dream or not. Mikuo Hatsune. The boy which she had just brought into her house, that boy she had found unconscious on her front porch...he was just so familiar to her.

He reminded her of her dead best friend so much...she had wondered for a while, as she had been talking to this Mikuo, whether it was Mikuo Hagane come back to life. But that couldn't be, because the dead couldn't return to life. If they could, wouldn't he have come back sooner? Mikuo Hatsune looked a lot like Mikuo, though...they even shared the same name.

The same emerald eyes, the same teal hair, the same endearingly shy smile. It was definitely Mikuo, but...how could it possibly be? Her best friend, Mikuo Hagane, was dead and gone. And he was never going to come back. She sighed again, but then a small smile curved her lips.

Coincidence or not, she would treat this as a blessing from Heaven. It had to be. Mikuo Hatsune...he seemed so familiar to her. Possibly because he really did resemble Mikuo a lot. She knew that if Mikuo had lived, he would look like Mikuo Hatsune now. It was like they were twins - but Miku was sure that Mikuo Hagane had no twin. And anyway, this boy was called Mikuo _Hatsune, _not Hagane.

She got the feeling that she and Mikuo were going to be good friends. Just like how she and Mikuo Hagane used to be, before his death.


	8. Chapter 8

Miku was woken by the sound of someone insistently ringing her doorbell. The irritating ringing sound pierced through her slumber, and groggily she opened her eyes, squinting at the clock on her bedside table. As she stared at the time, her eyes snapped open wide - she was going to be late for school at this rate!

Quickly, she dashed out of bed, searching for her uniform, grabbing the white shirt and dark red skirt from its hanger and hurrying over to her bathroom to change, as well as to brush her teeth. She knew she could skip her breakfast - it wouldn't be the first time she had done such a thing, and anyway she was used to skipping meals. Through it all, the doorbell kept ringing, and Miku wondered who could it be.

She was ready, dressed in her uniform, all in the space of five minutes...which was a whole new record for her. Sticking two hair clips in her mouth, she grabbed a hair band, reaching up to tie her long teal hair. At the same time, she rushed down the stairs to the living room, grabbing her bag off the coffee table. Her parents weren't around - they always left for work early. Especially now she was eighteen. They felt she could look after herself.

Reaching the front door, she yanked said door open, her hair clips still sticking out of her mouth. Startled forest green eyes met her own, wide as they took in her messy appearance, and she felt her cheeks warm at his scrutiny of her. One thing she knew was that this was not making a very good first impression.

''I'm normally not so disorganised,'' she hurried to reassure him, the hair clips dropping out of her mouth in the process. Hastily, she bent down to retrieve them, and as she reached for the aquamarine hair clips a cool hand brushed against her own. She glanced up, startled, and immediately Mikuo's hand shot away from hers, returning back to his side once more.

''Sorry,'' he mumbled as he averted his gaze from her, his cheeks turning the same shade of pink as her own face had been, earlier. Idly, Miku wondered why as her fingers closed over the dropped hair clips. Slowly, both of them rose from the ground, staring at each other, their gazes intent and penetrating. Finally, Mikuo looked away from her stare. ''You look like you just got out of bed,'' he remarked.

''I did,'' she admitted sheepishly. ''I don't know why. I'm pretty sure I set my alarm,'' she frowned. ''Maybe it's time to change the batteries on that clock...'' she glanced up at him. ''Did you wait very long?'' she asked softly. He shook his head, a small smile gracing his full lips, and she exhaled in relief. ''That's good. I'm not so messed up, most of the time,'' she laughed. ''Today isn't a very good day for me.''

Mikuo's smile grew a little wider. ''I didn't say anything,'' he teased playfully, shrugging his black bag strap further up his shoulder. She felt herself blush again at his teasing tone - he reminded her so much of her dead best friend, it hurt. Mikuo would have teased her this way, too. He would have made some remark about how she looked like she had just woken up...but then he would tell her that she looked beautiful anyway. She just knew he would have.

''But you still look pretty, even if you had just woken up,'' Mikuo suddenly added, blinking and glancing away. She stared at him, startled by the unexpected comment, and he coughed into his hand, turning away from her. The words that he had just said...they were the same words that she had just thought of, mere seconds ago. How strange. ''Are we leaving now?'' he asked, back facing her.

She smiled at his hesitant tone. ''Of course. We're going to be late...sorry about that,'' she said apologetically, walking beside him as they set off. Mikuo glanced at her, his green eyes bright with humour, and casually he shrugged. She sighed. His easygoing attitude...her gut twisted. Why was he so familiar? _He isn't the Mikuo you knew before. They're completely different people. So stop being so hopeful._

''Any time I can spend outside of school is a good time for me,'' he remarked cheerfully. He wore the school uniform well, she noticed - his white shirt fit him perfectly, showing off his lean, toned body. The dark red pants looked good on him too, the dark colour clashing, yet somehow complementing, his teal hair. He was handsome, angelically so...she couldn't help but notice that. She swallowed, glancing away.

She shouldn't be noticing how handsome he was. He wasn't the Mikuo she knew. This was Mikuo Hatsune. Mikuo Hagane had died a long time ago, and she couldn't change that. The dead couldn't come back to life, after all - this was just a coincidence. Too much of a coincidence, but still...nothing more than sheer coincidence. She had stopped hoping for a miracle to happen a long time ago.

''Why are you being so quiet?'' Mikuo now asked her, his voice filled with curiosity. Blinking, she turned to look at the teal haired boy. His eyes flashed with interest as he stared at her, and she shrugged, the same way he had earlier. He arched an eyebrow at her. ''Fine, don't tell me,'' he drawled, sounding rather amused.

''It's just...'' she hesitated. ''You remind me of someone I once knew,'' she said in a low voice, turning away to hide the pain in her eyes. ''Someone who was really important to me,'' her voice sounded thick, and she tried to suppress the tears she could feel welling up in her eyes, as was their habit whenever she talked about Mikuo. No. She wasn't going to cry about the past, not in front of a new person.

There was a brief silence, then Mikuo spoke up, sounding strangely...regretful, almost. An emotion she couldn't identify. ''Who was this person?'' he asked, reaching out to lightly touch her shoulder. ''You sound sad, Miku...cheer up a little?'' he finished his sentence weakly. She sniffled, rubbing away unshod tears, then faced him again, nodding as she bit her lip.

''It's just someone,'' she said lightly. ''You don't have to know about my problems, Mikuo. You just came here - it's not very nice of me to tell you all about my complaints. Come on, we're going to be late!'' she tried to sound cheerful as she changed the subject, breaking into a run, running away from the familiar teal haired boy. Away from the memories of the past.

He caught up to her easily, with his longer legs and stride, and he laughed, carefree, along with her as the both of them ran to school together. Miku thought that she could see flickers of doubt in his eyes, though - and underneath that doubt, a faint shadow of concern. The thought of it made her frown a little.

He barely knew her. Why would he show concern for her? Was he really that nice? Was he...as nice as Mikuo had been, before his death? How similar were the two Mikuos?

:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-:-

Mikuo watched as Miku walked into the school compound, him following a little distance behind her. The moment she set foot past the gates, she was ambushed by a black haired boy with grey eyes, her being pulled into a hug. The black haired boy, Ren Haine, whispered into her ear as he hugged her from behind, and Miku smiled, turning back to kiss his cheek.

He gritted his teeth at the sight. Ren wasn't good for her, he just knew it. Their relationship was one which was filled with selfishness and possessiveness, mostly on Ren's part, and the relationship was suffocating Miku...even if she didn't know it. Mikuo could tell that all the protective love Ren felt for Miku was strangling her, choking her to death in its embrace.

Earlier, as he had walked - or ran - with her to school, he knew that she had been ready to burst into tears. As she always was whenever the subject or memory of him was brought up. His death had affected her badly, he knew that...and he still felt guilty about the whole thing. Mikuo had wanted to stop her, to pull her to him and comfort her the best that he could. But she probably would have slapped him for his efforts. He was a stranger, after all.

Sometimes, he found it so difficult to remember that she didn't technically know him. That he was supposed to be a stranger to her. He had almost slipped, on more than one occasion - the overwhelming urge to touch her, to press his lips softly against her own, was difficult to resist. But he had, and he would continue - for Miku couldn't be allowed to know that he was Mikuo Hagane, returned to life.

How could he possibly tell her that he was an angel, that he was Mikuo Hagane? She would think that he was delusional. And say, if she did believe him, he would be breaking a heavenly law - angels weren't supposed to reveal who they were to humans. Not even angels in human bodies. Humans were not supposed to know of the existence of angelic beings.

He glanced away from Ren and Miku. The jealousy he felt was shadowed only by the fact that he and Miku were soul mates, and nothing anyone ever did could change that. She still loved him, if the way she had reacted to the memory of him indicated anything. Now, if only he could get her to verbally admit to that love.

Earlier, when he had touched Miku's hand...it had felt nice. He had wanted to hold her hand, but then he had quickly removed his hand instead, afraid to give in to that temptation. She would probably think that he was weird if he made a move on her. Or perhaps she would think that he was a pervert. He didn't know - he had never had a girlfriend or dated before.

He had died at a rather young age - far too young for him to know anything about how girls of their current age would react, if he were to just suddenly grab their hands like that. But he doubted that Miku would have enjoyed it very much, so he had kept his hands to himself. He was fairly sure that mere strangers didn't go around groping each other's hands.

Slowly, he walked away, into the school building. He would find a way to make Miku realise who he was, without him actually telling her. He needed her love, and he would do anything to obtain it. Because he loved her. And he didn't want to lose his memories of her. Since memories were the only thing he had clung on to, as an angel...he couldn't forget them. He didn't want to forget her.

_Would you be willing to love me...?_


	9. Chapter 9

Mikuo wasn't in her class, which disappointed Miku a little. She rather liked Mikuo. He was friendly, funny and nice...and he reminded her of Mikuo Hagane. Her dead best friend. She swallowed the lump in her throat which came along with the memory of the deceased boy.

_We'll be together forever. Just like Gemini in the sky, never to be split apart. If you ever feel upset or lonely, just look up into the night sky...look for Gemini, and you'll remember that I'll be here for you. I won't ever leave you to face your problems alone._ The memory of the promise they had made to each other made her grit her teeth - was it all just a lie, then?

''What's wrong?'' Ren came up to her, sliding his arm along the back of her chair. His grey eyes were filled with concern for her, and forcing a smile on her face Miku looked up at her boyfriend. She couldn't deny that Ren cared for her - but sometimes, she couldn't help but wonder whether he cared a little too much. Sometimes, she felt that the affection he showed towards her was just far too much.

''I was just thinking,'' she answered. ''It's not really anything important...'' she sighed as she felt his arms loop tightly around her waist, him leaning down so that he could rest his chin on the top of her head. She changed the topic before he could start questioning her about what her thoughts had been about. ''How was your day?'' she asked, only for the sake of asking. She never knew what to say to him.

True, Ren was her boyfriend. But half the time, she never knew what to say to him. Usually, he was the one who came up to her and started a conversation with her. It was rarely the other way round - she didn't know what else she was supposed to say, to converse normally with him. Sometimes, she worried that she might say the wrong thing to him and cause them to have yet another argument. She hated those fights.

They fought almost every single week. They made up as quickly as they got into arguments, but those arguments...they were usually so incredibly _pointless_. Most of the time, the quarrels were sparked by Ren, and it was usually over something as stupid as him seeing her talking to another boy. His possessiveness was choking her, and she didn't like it. But still, she didn't want to break up with him.

At the very least, Ren Haine was stable. He wouldn't just die on her, not when he had promised that he would stay with her forever. She didn't want to be on her own, with no one to rely on - she hated being alone, and she hated the feeling of having no one to talk to. No one to rely on. Ren couldn't fill the gaping space Mikuo Hagane had left in her heart, but at least she wasn't alone, so long as she had Ren.

And anyway, she didn't think that Ren would like it very much if she were to ever bring up the subject of breaking up with him. She knew the black haired boy well enough to know that his possessiveness would never allow such a thing to happen. He wouldn't let her go, not so easily, and she would be an idiot to believe in otherwise. Though she did wish that he would be willing to give her some alone time.

''My day?'' Ren sounded slightly surprised. ''Same as the usual, I guess. School is boring...oh, but there's a new kid in my class. Mikuo Hatsune. He actually looks a lot like you,'' she could hear the curiosity in Ren's voice, but at the same time there was a casual dismissal in his tone which clearly indicated how disinterested he was in the whole thing. At the sound of Mikuo's name, though, Miku perked up.

So Mikuo was in Ren's class? She had been wondering which class he had been assigned to. Now that she knew, it would be easier to look for the teal haired boy. Miku couldn't claim to know Mikuo very well - after all, she had only just met him yesterday. But for some reason, she felt strangely responsible for her new friend. Perhaps it was because she had found him unconscious on her doorstep.

And not to mention, Mikuo Hatsune did bear a strangely unnerving resemblance to Mikuo Hagane. She couldn't help but notice that resemblance, even though she found it a little eerie. Mikuo was friendly and kind as well - just like the way her dead best friend had once been. He reminded her just so much of Mikuo Hagane that she...she occasionally forgot that they weren't one and the same person.

But she couldn't ever let Ren know that she thought that way of Mikuo. Ren got jealous extremely easily, and if he so much as felt that she treated Mikuo differently from the way that she treated other boys, Ren was going to start disliking him. And when Ren disliked people...well, it wasn't very good for the other affected party. And Miku didn't wish for Mikuo to get into any trouble with the hotheaded Ren.

Honestly, she was rather surprised that Ren hadn't commented on how she and Mikuo had arrived at school together this morning. Perhaps he hadn't noticed. But then again, it wasn't like she had been talking to Mikuo as she walked into the school, anyway - so it was plausible that Ren hadn't made any other sort of connection between the two of them. Which would be good for Mikuo, she supposed.

''Oh, Mikuo Hatsune?'' she remarked casually, trying not to show too much interest. She had to be careful to act like she didn't really care too much about him - else Ren would start getting suspicious. And she really didn't want to have to deal with another fight between them, not right now. ''I know him. I met him yesterday...he just came here from overseas to study. He's living in that boarding house in my neighbourhood.''

Ren blinked down at her, his steel grey eyes starting to fill with a slight interest. ''Really?'' he asked her, his voice carefully neutral. She wondered whether he was acting, just like her. Where she was pretending that she didn't care about the new boy, Ren was pretending that he didn't care that she knew who he was. ''That sounds...rather interesting,'' he finished, voice flat. She hoped he wasn't feeling bothered.

So long as she didn't say anything which would give Ren a reason to get possessive, she would be fine. ''He's a rather nice person, from what I could tell. Though I don't really know him very well,'' she was quick to add, noticing the subtle tightening of Ren's mouth. It was a dangerous warning, that tightening, and she hastily tried to avert his attention to other things. ''Do you want to go to the ice cream parlour?'' she offered.

To her surprise, Ren shook his head, his frown lightening to become an expression that was closer to neutrality. ''I have a project to work on with Mikio,'' was what he said in reply. Mikio was the twin brother of one of her friends, Miki. ''So I can't hang out with you after school, not today,'' he smiled apologetically. ''Maybe next time. I'll call you later,'' he added, somehow making that sound like a concerned threat.

As Ren walked away from her, going to find Mikio so that they could finish whatever it was their project was about, Miku couldn't help but exhale in relief. She knew that she shouldn't feel like this about Ren not being able to spend time with her today, but she couldn't deny that she was happier when she could spend time away from Ren, rather than with him. Even though Ren happened to be her boyfriend.

Ren being unable to spend time with her after school was rare, and she was going to make use of that alone time to do things that she had really wanted to do...not that she could exactly think of anything to pass her time with, not at this precise, given moment. School was over, and she could leave now if she wanted - she just didn't know where she ought to go now. It had been so long since she last had free time.

She didn't know what to do with it. Usually Ren would make the decisions for where they would go after school, and she would just follow along - she didn't care, after all. She pursed her lips, thinking. Well, she didn't want to go shopping, not by herself...all her friends were busy today. Maybe she should just go home and sleep. She had been feeling so tired recently, for some strange reason. Though she didn't know why.

Just as she finished shoving all of her things into her backpack, she heard footsteps coming up to her table, in the classroom. Wondering if it was Ren, back to say something else, she hastily arranged her features into something resembling happiness - but then, as she looked up, she saw that it was Mikuo instead of Ren. Immediately she breathed out, feeling a little glad that it wasn't the black haired boy.

Even though he was her boyfriend...she was supposed to be happy whenever she saw Ren, right? So why was it that she felt happier when he wasn't with her, rather than the other way round? She swallowed a little as she thought about it - was it worth it to stay with someone she didn't really love? She had thought that she loved him, but if she did she wouldn't feel so relieved that he wasn't around. Would she?

''Mikuo,'' she greeted him, though she was a little startled that he knew which class she was in. It wasn't like she had told him that, after all. ''Are you looking for someone?'' she asked haltingly. After all, it was entirely possible that he wasn't looking for her - just because he had showed up at her classroom didn't mean that he had any idea that she was in here as well.

''I was looking for you,'' he grinned at her. ''I asked someone about which class you were in,'' he added at the questioning look on her face. Ah. So that explained it. ''And they were all like, 'You're looking for Miku? Be careful. Her boyfriend doesn't like it when other boys come and look for her.' Is that true?'' Mikuo's green eyes were filled with a strange mixture of curiosity and trepidation. Miku shrugged.

''Well...whoever it was you asked wasn't exaggerating.'' Reluctantly, she admitted to the truth about Ren's possessive nature. Casually, she shouldered her bag, then rose from her chair so that she was standing next to Mikuo. She was a fairly tall girl, but she noticed that even while they were both standing, Mikuo was almost an entire head taller than she was. It made her feel rather short...

She and Ren were almost the same height, so usually she didn't really feel small. But Mikuo was taller than her, and she felt a little...short compared to him. Strangely, though, she didn't mind that - for some reason, she felt rather protected by his taller frame. She shook her head, continuing their conversation. ''So anyway, why did you risk Ren's wrath and come and look for me?'' she asked, smile still in place.

Mikuo sighed, suddenly looking away. ''Well...I don't really have anything else to do after school. And you're the only person that I really know around here...'' he said slowly. ''I was wondering whether, you know, you'd like to hang out with me today?'' the last few words came out in a rush, and she blinked as she tried to decipher everything which he had just said. Mikuo's cheeks had turned faintly pink.

''You're...asking me out?'' she asked hesitantly. That was one thing which she hadn't expected to happen. The teal haired boy glanced up at her and shrugged, the small blush on his face deepening just a little as she stared at him.

''Well...when you put it that way...I suppose that you could say such a thing?'' he asked helplessly, clearly reluctant to meet her gaze. His shyness was refreshing compared to the cocky, arrogant attitude of most of the boys in their school, and Miku couldn't help but smile at how awkward Mikuo seemed to be feeling.

''I don't mind,'' she said softly, making him look up, green eyes startled looking. ''I don't have anything else to do today either, anyway,'' she shifted her bag strap further up her shoulder. ''Just a question, though. What do you have in mind for us to do?'' she asked curiously.

The embarrassment faded away from his eyes, and Mikuo shot her a roguish grin - a grin that reminded her, almost painfully, of Mikuo Hagane. ''Just a little surprise,'' was all he said, a somehow familiar look of mischief sparking in his gaze. ''Aren't surprises always fun?''


	10. Chapter 10

Mikuo's gaze drifted over to the girl walking next to him. There was a small smile on her face, her long teal hair bouncing along behind her, tied up in a ponytail. He hadn't seen her looking so...relaxed, not in a long while.

That was a good thing, wasn't it? Feeling a little awkward, he adjusted the strap of his black bag. Miku glanced at him, the smile on her face widening just a little bit more. ''You really do like to keep people guessing, don't you, Mikuo?'' she asked him playfully. He assumed that this was a reference to how he kept on refusing to tell her where he was taking her.

To tell the truth, he himself had no idea where he was heading. All he knew was that he hadn't wanted her to be alone. Earlier, while Ren had been talking to Miku in her classroom, Mikuo had been standing outside. Listening to them. It was only because he had eavesdropped on their conversation that he had known that Ren wasn't going to go keep company with Miku, later.

So he had went in to ask her if she wanted to spend the day with him. Not that he exactly had anywhere in mind. He glanced at Miku again, then noticed that she was looking wistfully at a little cafe, which sold cakes and pastries. The longing with which she stared at the cakes, displayed in the window, made him blink. ''Are you hungry?'' he asked, tipping his head in the direction of the cafe. She bit her lip.

''A little,'' she smiled, then shrugged. ''But...well, that cake over there, that one with the cookies and cream...it's the same cake my parents had bought, for my eighth birthday,'' Her large green eyes turned sad. ''That was an important day for me,'' she whispered. ''I can't forget what happened to me, on that particular day...'' her gaze flicked up to meet his own. ''Would you mind if I went in to get something to eat?''

He shook his head, a corner of his lips tilting up, into a crooked smile. ''Do whatever you want. I'm not your boss, after all,'' he said slyly. Miku just smiled back at him, and he thought that he could sense a hint of relief in her eyes. He swallowed, wondering why - was it because Ren had never allowed her to do what she wished, not without his permission? Given his possessiveness...well, that seemed probable.

She turned towards the cafe, opening the door and walking in. Mikuo lingered for a while, at the display window of the cafe. His eyes quickly found the cake she had been talking about, and as he stared at the simple birthday cake, a flood of bitter-sweet memories surged through him. He knew exactly why she couldn't forget the day of her eighth birthday...his birthday, as well. Because that day...was the day he had died.

Dying had hurt, at first. After he had been knocked over by that car, he had lay, bleeding to death on the road, with Miku at his side. She hadn't grasped the severity of the situation then - they had been too young to think about the concept of death. Mikuo had been so scared, as he lay there - scared. Hurting. His body had hurt all over, but even through the pain, he had passed her his birthday present to her.

Now, a decade later, that present seemed a little silly. It was nothing more than a simple, childish drawing - but at that time, when he had been drawing and colouring it, he had invested much time and effort in that simple thing. It had been the only thing he could think of, to give to her, since he hadn't had any idea what she would like for her birthday. He had been looking forward to giving his present to her.

Too bad that he had been run over by a car. He frowned for a moment, thinking back to that pain filled memory. He couldn't exactly recall all the details about his death - only...that it had hurt. Not just physically, but in his heart as well. Because he had known, despite his young age, that he would never be able to see Miku again. To talk to her, to laugh with her. And that had almost hurt more than the physical pain.

Then, as he had felt his body surrendering itself to the crippling agony, him longing to fade into darkness, he had felt a..._touch. _And it hadn't been like Miku's touch, as she patted frantically at him, trying to get him to wake up. It had been a different touch, a touch which affected not only his physical body, but a touch that had branded itself onto his very soul. His eyes had opened, and he had seen...an angel.

Of course, at that age, he hadn't known that the man had been an angel. All he had seen was a navy haired man with wings. Wings, not like a bird's, but wings that were sleek and strong. Wings that were made entirely out of pure light. He had held out his hand, and Mikuo had taken it, knowing that he could trust the man. As the man had lifted him up, carrying him in his arms, Mikuo had stared back down at the ground.

He had seen his dead body, still and unmoving, surrounded by a pool of his own blood. He had seen Miku, crying as she tried to get him to wake up from death. He had yearned to return to her then, kicking and struggling to get back. The same way Miku had, when her father had carried her up, away from his corpse. But the angel had held fast, and Mikuo hadn't been able to break free from his tight hold.

So he had been taken up to Heaven, and had been made into an angel. The man who had brought him up there was one of the Seven Archangels of Heaven, Kaito Shion - and their difficult relationship began, from then on. Mikuo would always skulk off to the mortal world, trying to look out for Miku, and Kaito would always go to that same world to retrieve him.

In the end, Mikuo had been assigned to be Miku's guardian angel, which finally gave him an excuse to continue lingering in the human realm, watching her. And that arrangement had been going on for a while - Mikuo had been appointed to be her guardian angel when Miku had been...twelve. It was a job he both enjoyed and detested. He enjoyed it, for he got to see her again - but he couldn't stand it at times, because Miku's sadness...made him sad, too.

Mikuo realised that he had been standing outside the cafe for quite some time already, and no doubt Miku would be wondering what he was doing. Hastily, he opened the door of the cafe, hearing a bell tinkling as he walked inside. His eyes sought out Miku, and when he found her, he breathed out in relief. He hurried over to where she was seated, staring moodily down at a slice of cake...he paused, looking at it too.

The slice of cake she was eating was the same cake that she had pointed out to him, earlier. He hadn't known what cake had been bought for his eighth birthday, since he had been killed before he had gotten a chance to see it. So he hadn't paid that cake any attention - but for Miku, he knew that it would trigger a flood of memories. Recollections that she might not want to recall, not at this point of time.

He went over to her, but she didn't react at all at his approach, which worried him a little. ''Are you going to eat that?'' he asked, trying to jerk her out of her silent reverie, as he slid into the seat next to hers. Miku blinked as she heard his voice, then she shook herself, turning around to smile at him. He noticed that the smile seemed a little forced, and his concern for her grew. He wished he could help her smile, genuinely.

''Of course,'' she chirped, sounding cheerful on the outside - but he knew her well enough to know when she was pretending to be happy. She wore this exact, same look whenever she was trying to hide that she was sad. A smile that was a little too forced, a cheerfulness that was slightly too unnatural. Perhaps to anyone else, she would have seemed perfectly happy. But he knew her too well to be fooled by her.

''I'll eat the cake with you, if you'd like,'' he offered, and inwardly he sighed in relief, as he noticed the misery, hidden deep in the depths of her large green eyes, lessen just a little. She nodded, her smile becoming more genuine, and the two of them both took a fork, jabbing at the cake playfully as they each fought to eat more of the cake. He smiled wistfully - this reminded him of old times. Happier times.

Evidently, she recalled their past too, but she didn't break down and cry, as was her usual habit. Instead, she set down her fork, then took a deep breath, seeming to steady herself. Miku then stared at Mikuo, and he sat up, wondering what exactly she was about to say to him. ''You know, this really reminds me of someone,'' she began, her eyes darting away from him. ''Everything. You remind me of him, too...''

''Who's this 'him'?'' he asked, purely for the sake of asking. Of course, he knew exactly who was this person that she kept referring to, but since he was masquerading as a human with no link whatsoever to her past, he couldn't very well reveal that he knew who she was thinking of. Sadness filled her forest green gaze once more, and he couldn't help but wish that there was some way for him to wipe that sadness away.

''My friend,'' she answered, looking down at her lap. ''He was...a very good friend of mine,'' she said slowly, as though every word she spoke hurt her. ''I think...if nothing had changed, we probably wouldn't have remained as mere friends,'' she continued, voice turning softer than ever. ''Even from a young age, I knew that I loved him. And...you really remind me of him. The two of you are just so similar...''

Mikuo thought that he was having breathing difficulties. ''You loved him? Even from young?'' he repeated, more to himself than to her. She nodded, looking morose, and he swallowed. ''If he had been such a close friend, and you loved him, then...what happened? Where did he go, then? This person...is it Ren?'' He hated the words which were coming out of his mouth, and he knew he would hate her answer, as well.

''Ren? No,'' she looked away from him. ''Ren is...my boyfriend. But there's no way that Ren could ever replace this friend...the friend that I had lost,'' she met his gaze squarely, and he felt his heart twist when he saw the raw pain in her expressive eyes. ''My friend died,'' she stated, her voice betraying none of the agony in her eyes. ''He was run over by a car, on our eighth birthday. We shared the same birthday.''

He didn't know what hurt more, hearing her talk about the past, or seeing the misery in her eyes. Her full lips were trembling - a sign of how much she just wanted to break down into tears. But since she was in public, he knew she would try to look strong...even though the memory of his death always affected her badly. He longed to reach out and run his fingers against her cheek, to try and reassure her.

But he couldn't. He wasn't that close to her, and he didn't want her to think that he was being too...forward, or anything of that sort. In the end, he just settled for patting her on the shoulder. ''I'm sure your friend is watching over you now, wherever he is,'' he told her, his voice strangely thick. Miku nodded at his words, her gaze turning distant and blank - like she was seeing something that he could not.

''I hope he's happy, wherever he is,'' she said, her voice quiet. ''I just long for the day when I can join him again,'' she added, this time in a slightly louder tone of voice. Mikuo jerked back, startled by what she had just said - like anyone else would be, if she had said such a thing to them. Surely she couldn't be that badly affected by his death...could she? Enough to consider doing such a thing? He hoped that she wasn't.

''You're not considering committing suicide or anything of that sort, are you?'' he voiced his concern out, feeling worried about her. She glanced up at him, a dry smile on her face, and instantly he began to relax. She didn't seem to be as sad as she had been, earlier - and that made him feel slightly better, as well.

''No...if I had ever decided to take my own life, I wouldn't have waited until now to do so,'' she pointed out. ''He's gone, but I still have to live my life, too,'' her smile turned tremulous. ''Sometimes, if I'm not paying attention, I can almost convince myself that he's still here with me. Watching over me, making sure that I'm safe. Sometimes, I feel his presence so strongly...as though he's my guardian angel.''

Mikuo blinked. Had she managed to sense him around her, even while he had been an angel? He smiled back at her - perhaps that was a sign of their soul mate bond. That even in death, she was still able to feel his presence next to hers. As she dug into the rest of her cake, Mikuo pondered on where he ought to go with her, next - and he brightened as he realised where they should go. He waited for her to finish.

When the cake was all gone, and she was done cleaning her mouth with a tissue, Mikuo rose from his seat, holding out a hand for her to take. ''I know where we should go, for the rest of the day,'' he shot her a warm smile. Miku hesitated, her gaze meeting his, the two similar shades of emerald green clashing with each other. Then, she smiled back at him, a genuine smile, and he held back a sigh of relief.

Her hand dropped into his, and he pulled her out of her seat. As they walked out of the cafe, they didn't let go of each other's hands, and Mikuo squeezed her hand briefly, trying to comfort her about the death of her friend...the friend who was currently holding on to her hand. He felt her squeeze back, just a little. He couldn't suppress a tiny grin at that little action, wondering whether she could somehow sense, on a deeper level, who he really was.

His hand tightened, just a little, around hers. She squeezed again. Her hand was warm.


	11. Chapter 11

_**Solitaryloner: **Why do I have so many stories to update? I need to cut down on stories. Like, really really cut down. If not I'm going to go mad, trying to finish off so many..._

_I'm not deleting any stories or anything, don't worry about that. I just...hm. I think I'll update selectively from now on. Probably, older stories such as this one will have faster updates, since I want to clear them as soon as possible._

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Miku wondered where Mikuo was taking her. Her hand was still firmly in his, and somehow, the way he was holding on to her hand...it was all very familiar to her. Then again, it wasn't as big a surprise as she expected. In fact...Mikuo Hatsune reminded her a great deal of Mikuo Hagane, and she wouldn't have been surprised if this was her friend, come back to life.

But then, the dead couldn't return to life, and she knew that. Nevertheless, she didn't want to cry this time, because she could almost fool herself into believing that Mikuo was here. Comforting her, and pulling her along. She could feel his presence so strongly, at this very moment...like he was smiling at her, telling her that everything was going to be all right. That she was safe, and he would never leave her.

She glanced up, then stiffened as she realised where they were heading. Unconsciously, she tugged against Mikuo's grip, and he looked back at her, surprise flickering through the depths of his emerald eyes. ''What's wrong?'' he asked her, noticing the way her gaze had darkened. Miku bit nervously on her lower lip, wondering whether she ought to tell him anything. After all, it wasn't like they were _very _close...

But then, she had already told him about Mikuo, the one who had died when they were both eight. She might as well tell him more about herself. ''We're going to the hill, right?'' she asked, her voice wavering. ''The hill right next to the boarding house you stay in?'' The very thought of that brought back even more memories...memories of a happier past that she didn't want to remember. Not for now.

''Yes...'' he studied her. ''Do you want to go elsewhere?'' he asked her, his voice low. It was as though he could sense the sadness that had welled up inside her. Miku shook her head, not wanting to look like a crybaby in front of him. She was not going to break down and cry again, for no apparent reason. She didn't need Mikuo to think that she was a weakling, who always cried without any obvious provocation.

''No, it's okay, I don't mind,'' she smiled up at him. Worry lingered still in his gaze, and she couldn't help feeling touched, that he was so concerned for her. He barely knew her, yet...he cared for her. Somehow, she had the feeling that Mikuo cared for her even more than Ren did. Ren didn't really care about her feelings, not a lot - most of the time, he just wanted her to stay with him, and not ever leave his side.

Ren rarely asked her about how she was feeling, nor did he ask for her opinions before he made plans. Miku usually just smiled and went along with whatever Ren did, regardless of whether or not she actually wanted to do it. She never said no to Ren - in fact, there had only ever been one thing she had ever refused him, and she knew that he wasn't exactly happy about it. But she couldn't give in for that...

It was an unhealthy relationship she was in, and she knew that. But she didn't want to get out - she didn't want to be alone again. Other than Ren, there was no one else left for her to rely on. Even her own parents weren't around, half the time, and without Ren she would be alone. After all, even her friends couldn't always be with her, keeping her company. What about when she cried, in the middle of the night?

If she didn't have Ren, no one would talk to her even at the most inconvenient hours. And she knew it. She was afraid of being alone, even more afraid of that than of having such a possessive boyfriend. And perhaps, that was the only reason why she was willing to stay with someone as...controlling as Ren was. He treated her like an object, something he couldn't share, and that intense jealousy was choking her.

''What's wrong?'' Mikuo persisted, coming to a stop. His hand tightened subtly around hers - she looked down, startled. She had forgotten that her hand was still in his. It seemed so...natural, to let him hold on to her hand like that. It was as though his palm had been made specially for her hand. The way her hand rested in his...it just felt so right, for some reason. Even more right than when Ren held her hand.

But no. She couldn't think that way. Mikuo was someone she had met too recently - she didn't want to think this way of a virtual stranger, even if he knew things about her that few other people did. She never told any of her friends about Mikuo's death, a decade back - no one ever knew about the bitter sadness, the black misery which she nursed in her heart. It was a pain too private for her to share with anyone.

Yet she had shared it with Mikuo. She wondered what was it about the teal haired boy which made her willing to burden him with her sad memories. His familiarity, perhaps? Maybe she just identified him with the other Mikuo, the one she had known so long ago...still. That was no excuse to be so comfortable around him. Others might just think that she liked him that way - and she didn't need to deal with Ren. Again.

Blushing a little, she pulled her hand away from his grip, and the moment she did so, her hand seemed to feel remarkably...empty. Mikuo blinked, looking faintly surprised, but he let his hand fall back to his side, and he made no other comment. Miku realised dimly that he was still waiting for an answer to his question, and desperately she thought, trying to think of something which wouldn't betray the truth.

She didn't want to dump any more of her personal problems and sadness on him. He didn't deserve to be burdened that way, and not by her - she was someone he barely knew. They didn't even know each other that well, and it made her wonder why he had taken such a close interest in her. The only thing he knew about her...was the fact that her childhood best friend had died. On their eighth birthday.

Whereas for her, she knew absolutely nothing about this boy...before Miku could come up with a lie though, Mikuo had cut across her, his soft voice filled with understanding. ''It's okay. You don't have to tell me what's wrong if you really don't want to,'' his emerald eyes, so like hers, studied her intently. ''I mean, after all...it's not like we're best friends or anything,'' he added, sounding thoughtful. ''We just met and all...''

''Thanks for not pressing any further,'' she said, her words genuine. She really did appreciate it. Ren wouldn't have been like this - Ren would have kept trying to force her to answer. He would have kept on badgering her, asking her to reply...until she either made up a lie, or until he lost patience and walked away. Whenever the latter happened...well, he would come back to her a few hours later. As he always did.

That was Ren Haine's favourite way to threaten her, and force her into doing something she didn't wish to. He would leave for a while, for so long that she feared that he wasn't going to come back. And then she would regret whatever she had supposedly done wrong, for that old dislike of being alone would creep in and settle over her...so when Ren came back, she would give in to whatever he demanded of her.

He had been doing that for a long time, and she gave him whatever he wanted for an equally long period. She ought to be used to it by now, and know that he wouldn't really leave her - but the problem was, her fears were irrational, and they always made her nervous. Scared that this time, he really would walk away and leave her all alone in the dark. So she always agreed to whatever he wanted, when he came back.

She knew that Ren loved her, in his own twisted way - but his was a love which suffocated her. It was a love that choked her up from the inside...an unhealthy love which wasn't worth her tears. But she still couldn't help caring for their relationship, and what was happening between them. Yes, it was stupid to care, but care she did, and she didn't know how to stop herself from caring. She sighed softly, confused.

Mikuo shot her a careful glance, but he didn't comment. Instead, he asked her, ''Do you want to go somewhere else? Since...you don't seem as though you really want to go to the hill...'' his voice was light and questioning, but it wasn't filled with jealous possessiveness the same way Ren's voice was, and she was thankful for that. For some reason...she felt so comfortable around Mikuo. As though she really _knew _him.

Even though he was just a boy whom she had found unconscious, on her doorstep...''Well, I don't mind going there,'' she said slowly. ''But how about at night instead? That's when all the stars come out, and it's really pretty...'' Mikuo blinked at her, as though startled by what she had just said. ''We can still go now, if you really want to,'' Miku added hastily. ''I'd just rather go there at night, so we can see all the stars.''

A slow smile curved Mikuo's full lips. ''Okay,'' he shrugged, his green eyes dancing with humour. ''Anything you say, Miku. So...I guess that means I'll be seeing you tonight?'' he asked teasingly, making her smile in response. Yes, it was so strange, how comfortable they were around each other. There was just something very familiar about him - _but he's not Mikuo Hagane. That Mikuo died ten years ago..._

''Sure, I'll see you at eight tonight?'' she offered. ''Outside my house? It's close to the hill,'' she added thoughtfully. Mikuo just nodded, and he reached out for her hand once again. This time, Miku let him hold her hand - it made her feel just like a child once more. Back when Mikuo was alive, and they had spent all their time with each other, being happy. No more than two children, not knowing about death and pain...

''You know,'' Mikuo said quietly, catching her by surprise. His intense green eyes met hers. ''You ought to smile more. You look nice when you smile,'' he tilted his head, regarding her silently. ''Not that you don't look nice when you're not smiling,'' he added hastily. ''I mean...well, you just...look nice,'' he finally said, sounding rather unsure of what he was saying. Miku resisted the urge to giggle - he seemed so shy, now.

''You're very kind, Mikuo,'' she answered. ''It's strange, how casually we can talk to each other. Usually, I don't...make friends this easily,'' she patted him lightly on the shoulder. ''I guess you're someone special, then,'' her lips tilted up into a grin, watching him duck his head as he looked away from her stare. There was a light blush on his face, and she found his shyness very...endearing. For some strange reason.

Did he like her? She couldn't help wondering about that. But she already had a boyfriend...no matter how nice or attractive she found Mikuo, she couldn't break up with Ren. Even if she wanted to, she knew that Ren would never allow such a thing. ''So...I'll see you tonight, then,'' Mikuo muttered, still looking away from her. ''I'll walk you back to your house?'' he offered quietly, almost uncertainly.

She nodded, and they set off, their hands still linked together. She didn't want to let go - his hand was warm, and she found his touch rather comforting. She only let go of his hand after they had reached her house, and she did that reluctantly. Mikuo stared at her, his green gaze probing and intense. As he watched her, she felt a sudden wave of sadness wash through her, at the thought of saying goodbye. How strange.

She would be able to see him later, wouldn't she? She wasn't going to say goodbye forever. ''I'll see you later?'' she hedged, her sadness making her voice sound shaky. Mikuo smiled briefly at her, but she thought she could see a similar sadness in his eyes. A deep misery in the depths of that emerald green. But then he blinked, and the sadness disappeared, making her wonder if she had just imagined it all.

''I wouldn't miss our date for anything,'' he replied, grinning brightly at her once more, before he turned around and walked away. Miku remained at the doorway, still staring after him...she didn't move away from the door until Mikuo was no more than a small dot, at the very end of the street. Then he turned a corner and disappeared from her sight. Miku swallowed, slowly closing the front door.

_I don't understand this unhappiness I feel, at the very sight of him walking away from me. Why do I hate watching him leave?_


End file.
